Karnataka CM yet to respond to cost-sharing proposal: Piyush Goyal

Chief minister Siddaramaiah is yet to respond to a railway ministry proposal on sharing half the cost of suburban railway project in return for a generous FAR (floor area ratio) for the development of railway land in Bengaluru, Railway minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. The railway ministry, he told media persons, would usually bear 20% of cost in suburban railway projects and the rest has to come from the state concerned.

But the ministry, he said, appreciated Karnataka’s tight financial position, and hence has offered to chip in half the project cost in return for grant of FAR of five times as they have done in Mumbai.

The ministry, he said, wrote in January, and the Karnataka government is yet to respond to the proposal, Goyal said. The railways will make use of this relaxed FAR to modernise the railway stations, increase its revenue streams and make them more comfortable for users. The railways, the minister said, has begun the survey work on the proposed 160 km of suburban rail network using drones which will not only speed up the survey work, but will also better guide them on alignments and other aspects. The railways will spend ₹12,000 crore on this project, and invest another ₹5,000 crore on modern locos and coaches for Bengaluru.

COACHING TERMINAL
The railways will launch the first phase of the coaching terminal at Byappanahalli with three platforms and four pit lines by December and complete the second phase of opening new platforms and pit lines by December next year, Goyal said. The city currently has two coaching terminals — the city railway station and Yeswantpur. The coaching terminal will help railways introduce new trains from and to Bengaluru, which can commence and terminate at Byappanahalli. The plan of transforming the station into a world class one will take some more time, the minister said.

In response to a question on the status of Thalassery-Mysuru railway line, the minister said there has been a lot of opposition to the project from within Kodagu district. The railway ministry, he clarified, has not proposed this line, and the request actually came from Kerala. The ministry would take up a survey only if both Karnataka and Kerala request for the project, he said. The minister also launched eight new local services. One pair of service between Byappanahalli and Whitefield and another between Byappanahalli and city railway station. And two pairs of service between Hosur and Banaswadi.